African-American and Ethnic Rhinoplasty

By Oleh Slupchynskyj, MD, FACS

Dr. Oleh Slupchynskyj, a board certified facial plastic surgeon in private practice in New York City, performs hundreds of cosmetic surgery procedures a year on ethnic patients. After hearing an overwhelming number of discouraged Ethnic and African-American patients complain that there was nowhere they could turn for even basic information to answer their particular cosmetic surgery questions, he felt compelled to write this essential and honest consumer guide to address their very specific desires, questions and concerns. Dr. Slupchynskyj believes educating patients to be one of the most important roles of a plastic surgeon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483515120

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References

Chapter 1: About This Book

In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated 43,884,130 African-Americans in the United States, meaning that 14.1% of the total American population of 311.5 Million is Black. This includes those who identify as Black Only and as Black in combination with another race. The Black Only category totaled 40.7 million African-Americans or 13.1% of the total U.S population.

When Barack Obama became the first African-American President in 2008, it marked a change in the times in the United States among African-American and Ethnic individuals. No longer minorities, Ethnic people and African-Americans represent a rapidly growing majority.

Likewise, Cosmetic Surgery overall has increased anywhere from 30% to a whopping 3,300%, depending upon the surgical procedure, just over the past ten years!

As the United States becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, the number of non-Caucasian patients seeking Cosmetic Surgery, specifically Rhinoplasty (Nose Job Surgery), continues to increase.

The discussion of Cosmetic Nose Surgery (Rhinoplasty) for African-American and Ethnic patients brings up many hot-button issues involving race, gender, and conflicting standards of beauty. The purpose behind this book is to take a serious, realistic look at the growing practice of Cosmetic Surgery of the Nose (commonly known as a Nose Job) for patients of African-American descent, as well as for those of mixed or other ethnicities. While this book is not intended to address the sensitive political issues that the idea of Ethnic Rhinoplasty can bring up, it is intended to educate prospective patients as to what they can expect before, during and after the procedure.

Dr. Oleh Slupchynskyj’s African-American and other Ethnic patients admit that while plenty of information about Rhinoplasty is available, they feel most of it is targeted to Caucasian-Americans. There is virtually no comparable literature for African-Americans and people from other Ethnic groups. This creates a serious information gap. While a person of Ethnic descent may not be comfortable with the way her nose looks, a one-size-fits-all nose that isn’t true to her heritage or other facial features is not what she has in mind when contemplating Cosmetic Surgery. In this guide we will explain the how’s and why’s of Rhinoplasty and the ultimate goal of such surgery, walk you through the basic anatomy of various Ethnic and African-American noses, and describe the techniques that can transform your nose without sacrificing your identity. In addition, we will provide practical information about choosing a Plastic Surgeon who is sensitive to your needs and describe what you can expect before, during and after your surgery.

The aesthetic goals of Ethnic patients are the same as those for non-Ethnic (i.e. Caucasian) patients. Ethnic patients seek to reverse the signs of aging, reduce or eliminate displeasing features, and have proportionate facial features Ethnic patients rarely desire to change their appearance to be more European looking. They are not looking to westernize their nose or any facial feature. The simply desire what all my patients do. They want to improve their appearance while maintaining their ethnic features.

In Chapter 2, we will examine the history of Rhinoplasty and how the development of the procedure has impacted patients over the years. Although Rhinoplasty is one of the oldest cosmetic surgical procedures, the applications, techniques and reasons for this procedure have certainly evolved. From the rich and famous that seek to maintain their youthful appearance, to patients who need their noses reshaped in order to recover a chance at a normal life, Rhinoplasty Surgery has positively affected millions of lives.

The anatomy of the nose of the non-Caucasian, or Ethnic Rhinoplasty patient presents surgical challenges due to the significant anatomic variability from the standard European nose as well as variability within each ethnicity. Only a highly-skilled Ethnic Rhinoplasty Surgeon can work with African-American and Ethnic patients that desire consistent, ethnically harmonious, and aesthetically pleasing results. In years past and even today, many Plastic Surgeons do not receive sufficient training in the differences of nasal anatomy among the various ethnicities. This lack of knowledge and experience often leads to patients seeking Revision Rhinoplasty Surgery to correct structural or aesthetic issues that were not successfully addressed the first time around. In Chapter 3, we will review some of the subtle yet noticeable differences with the nasal compositions between African-American patients and those of Caucasian, East Asian, and other Ethnic groups. These differences are critical for a surgeon to understand in order to achieve the best possible results for the patient.

From medical and technical standpoints, Rhinoplasty is considered the most difficult procedure a Cosmetic Surgeon performs on a patient. Chapter 4 details how Rhinoplasty techniques have evolved over the decades and why. The chapter will examine early surgical techniques—some of which predate the use of Anesthesia—to how today's surgeons reshape the nose to a more functional and aesthetically pleasing appearance. The difficulty of these surgical techniques often leads to less than desirable results and much-needed revision surgery, which will be examined in depth in Chapter 6.

Among the more advanced techniques developed today for ethnic and African-American Rhinoplasty are the 3-Tiered Surgical approach and the use of flexible plastic nasal implants. Chapter 5 will focus on, a) this modern surgical technique that addresses the three most common requests of Ethnic patients seeking Rhinoplasty and b), the application and development of the well known SLUPimplant™, a proprietary custom carved silicone implant developed by Dr. Oleh Slupchynskyj, which is customized for each patient, as no two nose are alike. With his extensive experience in dealing with the particular needs of African-American patients, Dr. Slupchynskyj has created the SLUPimplant™ and its accompanying surgical procedure to meet those needs. Included are numerous before and after photos of actual patients who underwent Rhinoplasty Surgery with Dr. Slupchynskyj.

As more Ethnic patients consider Rhinoplasty to achieve overall facial harmony, and as more celebrities bring visibility to the practice, the prevalence of mistakes and dissatisfied patients also grows. Chapter 6 will list several sources of difficulty that both surgeons and patients encounter when taking part in Rhinoplasty. Among these reasons are poor training and antiquated attitudes from surgeons, as well as unrealistic expectations from patients and unattainable images presented by modern media.

As the prevalence of mistakes and dissatisfied patients grow, so does the need for revision surgery. Revision Rhinoplasty, also known as Secondary Rhinoplasty, is often required on a patient who has undergone Nose Surgery and suffered one or various complications that can negatively affect the function of the nose (breathing and smelling) as well as the aesthetic outcome. Patients who are unhappy with the aesthetic result from their first or Primary Rhinoplasty may also seek a revision, whether or not their nasal functionality has been compromised from the first surgery. In Chapter 7, we will review the conditions requiring a revision and include several actual case studies of Dr. Slupchynskyj's African-American and Ethnic Rhinoplasty patients. These case studies examine the structural issues shown in the before photos and the techniques used to correct these problems in the after images. Many of these cases stem from a clinical study Dr. Slupchynskyj authored for a prestigious cosmetic surgery journal that included a review of over a hundred Ethnic Rhinoplasty cases and the effects of his proprietary SLUPimplant™ procedure on the patient's nasal structure and overall level of satisfaction and even self-esteem.

If you picked up this book because you, the reader, are interested in pursuing Rhinoplasty Surgery, you should have a good base of knowledge about this procedure after reading the first six chapters. Chapter 8 is your guide on how to start the process. We will discuss the most important factors that will affect your outcome: research (this book is a good place to start), the do’s and don’ts of selecting a surgeon, your consultation with the surgeon, realistic expectations, and creating your surgical game plan. We will also discuss the importance of Computer-generated image software (CGI), one of the cutting-edge tools that Dr. Slupchynskyj and other Cosmetic Surgeons use to adjust the expectations of African-American Rhinoplasty prospects. CGI is used in the initial consultation to allow patients to see the results of their surgery well before the procedure actually occurs.

In Chapter 9, we will take you through all steps on how to prepare once your surgery is scheduled; what to do before surgery, known as pre-operative prep, what to do just days prior to your surgery and on the actual day of surgery.

For patients who have never undergone a Rhinoplasty procedure, the recovery process may seem unsettling. Chapter 10 looks at how the typical patient experiences post-surgical recovery. This chapter will answer questions that most patients ask about the days after the surgery, including concerns about swelling, pain and time frames for returning to a normal routine. While most Rhinoplasty patients do not experience severe complications, the chapter will also examine when and how these instances can occur and what to do when they happen.

In Chapter 11, you will also learn first hand what actual patients are saying and feeling about their surgery. Their experiences, in their own words.

For several years, rumors have circulated in tabloid newspapers, on talk shows, and on Internet blogs, about whether or not a certain celebrity underwent a Rhinoplasty procedure. The media scrutiny often becomes even stronger when that celebrity is African-American. Chapter 12 will look at before and after